WP Gets A New Engine...

[GTRMagic]

Interesting to read in AA that WP has 'told the world' of its alliance with current DJR engine builder InnoV8.

InnoV8 Racing Engines Website Here is made up of Dr Roger Higgins and Steve Amos, the former worked with Mr Hallam in a former life in other parts of the world. The pedigree of wins in races and championships certainly isnt anything to be sneezed at...

The story in AA suggests a deal has been in place since August 2012...

But it does make you wonder...

Is it odd for the 'Factory Team of Holden' to go to a private contractor to get engine development done? In the old days WP had some super special engine development programs, with all that lightweight stuff going on making them sound special, and rev as hard as a rotary, but with grunt!

Is it odd that WP supplies customer teams with engines and other equipment, yet is using an outside tuner for development work?

Wonder whether Mr D'Alberto & Mr Rogers are receiving updated development engines in their contracted complement this year.... or if they knew about the engine upgrades...

How much quicker could a GRM-mobile be with even more grunt aboard?

Presuming any of this actually happened

[Senna05]

GRM Seem to be beating HRT, so I think their current 'donks are fine...

[GTRMagic]

Some of the thoughts that were interesting in the article were around the use of the engine sump as a stressed member of the front end, ala the DJR InnoV8 installation, which according to the story, meant an increase in chassis stiffness for the front suspension.. for an implied improvement in handling.

You may have thought a supply contract with GRM might have relayed information such as this back to the mother ship...

[Denosaur]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

You may have thought a supply contract with GRM might have relayed information such as this back to the mother ship...

I'm not going to say what and don't really want to say what as don't know how WP may have passed around, so out of respect to GRM and WP, GRM did relay some information back at one stage, which turned out to be very positive for WP......

[Jam3s]

Agree with it being strange that a factory team, with all the money and resources that they have, are outsourcing to what is a very small team of people (I believe Innov8 have only 3-5 employees). I guess InnoV8's reputation proceeds them and they believe they can offer something which the factory team is unable to do.

I assume that WP will be receiving updates throughout the year and judging by that article they have only received new sumps thus far, not really going to offer much performance wise yet then. I wonder to what extent their engines will be getting made over? I think from memory the InnoV8 cars were 1,2,3 in the speed trap at bathurst last year as well.

Anyway I dare say HRT's lack of speed thus far is due to their front suspension, as a fan of the team I hope they get it sorted asap!

[dirtymacca]

I would be worried about a company with these claims on a cr*p website...
Where Results and Experience speak for itself!

1988 ATCC
1989 ATCC
1989 Bathurst
1992 Indy 500
1998 F1 World Championship
1999 F1 World Championship
2010 V8 Supercar Championship

Did they BUILD engines for theseChampionships..????.... details please!

[Jam3s]

Well Higgins worked at Ilmor when they were doing indycar and F1 engines according to Linkedin, and I would assume was quite a senior engineer at the company thus the claims to the indy 500 and F1 championships.

You really don't have to dig deep though, I mean their engines in the DJR cars have always been some of the most powerful and reliable around, and obviously those in the know at WP agree.

There is nothing to gain from having a fancy website for what they do, they don't cater to the public, it's simply a communication page.

[Bell_End]

Do they still work with drag guru Michael Marriott for their heads??

[GTRMagic]

HRT Engine Upgrade For Texas

Of interest... it isnt clear from this article exactly what the boys and girls at InnoV8 are providing HRT/WP in terms of an 'upgrade'

The word out of the pit paddock in Perth has them designing a new engine mounting system, which is said to include both a new front cross member, and a new sump design, to bring them in line with just about every other V8Supercar, as a stressed member of the chassis.

Based on that, it isnt clear that there is a power improvement coming, or fuel consumption or anything interesting like that...

[Jam3s]

Originally Posted by GTRMagic

HRT Engine Upgrade For Texas

Of interest... it isnt clear from this article exactly what the boys and girls at InnoV8 are providing HRT/WP in terms of an 'upgrade'

The word out of the pit paddock in Perth has them designing a new engine mounting system, which is said to include both a new front cross member, and a new sump design, to bring them in line with just about every other V8Supercar, as a stressed member of the chassis.

Based on that, it isnt clear that there is a power improvement coming, or fuel consumption or anything interesting like that...

They have been running the new sumps (mounted to the cross-member) since the second round, it was in an article somewhere. Wouldn't be surprised if that came with an improvement in power either as you can make back a surprising amount of lost power with clever dry sump design.

They may have been working with the team on engine maps and so forth as well so there may be improvements in those areas as well.

Not sure on the extent of the upgrades but I wouldn't be surprised if they are getting a completely new inlet system or something, maybe it will even go as far as pumps (Assume with the sump they got new oil pumps as well).

Seems the teams biggest issues are suspension related though so as they continually fiddle there we may not really get a feel for any engine improvements over time.

[Amaroo Park]

Maybe Holden and indeed Ford should look at going down the Nissan and Benz path and homologate multi valve over head cam engines. Wouldn't it make?

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by Amaroo Park

Maybe Holden and indeed Ford should look at going down the Nissan and Benz path and homologate multi valve over head cam engines. Wouldn't it make?

I am lead to believe that Holden/Chev don't make a OHC engine

[Amaroo Park]

they did until eighteen months ago, the Northstar V8 (badged Aurora V8 for Oldsmobile). They could make an race engine out of it, they would still have to be producing small amounts for parts

[Bell_End]

that sounds like a nice cheap option

[Amaroo Park]

Wouldn't be any more expensive than what they build now